The supermarket giant is to axe hundreds of jobs at its head office as part of a major cost-cutting drive

Asda is in the midst of a turnaround plan under new chief executive Sean Clarke, who is attempting to arrest falling sales as the supermarket scraps it out with rivals in a brutal price war that has eroded profits.

An official statement confirming the number of affected employees is expected to be released later on Wednesday.

It comes after reports surfaced last month that thousands of Asda workers across 18 under-performing stores are facing redundancy or changes to their working hours.

Staffing arrangements in a further 59 stores are also being looked at as Mr Clarke brings in a raft of changes.

In August, there were signs that his strategy was beginning to bear fruit, with Asda posting its first quarterly sales growth in three years.